Perspectives on the beautiful game of soccer; fueled by enormous amounts of coffee

Monday, June 27, 2011

Down The River

I'm fascinated by River Plate's situation.

In case you haven't heard, River Plate was relegated. One of the world's most renowned clubs and one of the most respected names in Argentina and South America, anywhere really, has been sent down to the second division after losing to Belgrano by a 3-1 aggregate in a relegation playoff in Argentina.

The supporters there were not very pleased, as the relegation touched off riots outside River's stadium. Supporters even tossed objects onto the field, forcing players to seek refuge far away from the stands lest the hinchas lob things on them.

Some of the scenes...

Now, I can't think of many other situations when a giant like River Plate was relegated. Juventus spent time in Serie B recently but that was due to scandal. Newcastle United was relegated, but they don't quite have the history of River Plate.

Anyway, it's a lesson for all clubs around the world that permanency in the top flight is not necessarily a given.